Steve and Alexander Hahn, Sandusky, spent the day pulling bluegill out of East Harbor last January. / James Proffitt/CentralOhio.com

Written by

Dick Martin

CentralOhio.com

Ice seems to be coming very early to Buckeye ponds and lakes this winter.

If it continues ice hikers will be out there in record time. This is a great scenario, because ice fishing has a lot going for it.

One simple fact is that ice fishing is probably the most productive of fishing sports. Since thereís usually no current under the ice, it becomes a precise sport and you can fine-tune your equipment to make it do exactly what you want.

Iíve headed forth many times and taken 50 bluegills and/or crappies or made a good catch of largemouth bass (usually released) or picked up a limit of perch or some dandy walleyes. Fish taken from ice water are as tasty as theyíre ever going to be. Besides there just isnít much fishing in winter, give or take some action on steelhead or below the dam saugeye.

Often ice fishing is the only game in town.

But I also believe this sport is the most dangerous in the state, much more so than hunting. Iíve ice fished in Ohio and Michigan for many years, and Iím still here, but thatís because Iím ultra-conscious of the potential danger, and take no chances at all.

Farm ponds are almost invariably the first to produce good, safe ice. So these are the first I always fish. When I visit a new pond or even an old one Iíve worked for years, I step out on the ice a few feet and drill a hole to see just how thick the ice is. If it doesnít suit me I walk away.

I always carry a couple of screw drivers in a coat pocket. While you may laugh, I usually carry a hundred feet of rope or more that I tie around my waist and then to a shore side dock or tree.

When fishing bigger water I drill the same shore side holes then if others are fishing out there I walk in a well trodden trail to the fishing grounds and still carry the rope. If I donít need it someone else might, and it always has a strong loop at the end ó just in case.

Given that, farm pond fishing isnít rocket science. These early fish are almost always in the deepest part of the pond, usually somewhere from mid-lake down to near the dam. Theyíre almost invariably right above the bottom.

So, I take two short ice rods and rig them with a quarter-ounce sinker on lineís end with two short side lines above, one set to be within inches of the bottom, the other a foot or less above.

I like to tie tiny ice spoons to the ends of the side lines, always white on one, and maybe red, yellow, chart reuse or black on the other. I use four different spoons on the four lines to see if they have color preferences that day.

Tiny jigs in various colors work too, and Iíve caught fish on them, as well as ice flies. Suit yourself.

Bait? I almost invariably use waxworms. Iíve tried maggots, spikes, and meal worms, but the waxworms have always produced best for panfish and bass.

If thereís a secret to ice fishing, itís to jig your baits. Gently jig one rod up and down just an inch or two, then let it rest a moment while you jig the other. Panfish like movement. It attracts their attention, and the next time you move the rig theyíll usually bite.

Two final thoughts: one, if youíre catching nothing within 20 minute or so, move, and move again until you find action. And two, use the smallest float that will hold your rigs up, usually not more than nickel in size. I adjust my floats so theyíre half submerged, and even the lightest touch from below will sink them.

Thatís it. Simple rules, but theyíll catch you some fine dinners this winter.

Dick Martin is a retired Shelby biology teacher who has written an outdoor column for more than 20 years. He can be reached at richmart@neo.rr.com.